Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Budget requests from multiple organizations and a rejected bid for the Brown Grand Restoration project were part of another busy city commission meeting on Wednesday, June 4.
The meeting began with Mayor Amy Jackson signing a proclamation that designated June 2025 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Concordia.
According to the National Council on Aging, one in ten seniors in America experiences mistreatment or abuse, including domestic and sexual violence, financial exploitation, and neglect. Abusers of older adults are both women and men and are usually family members,
caregivers, health care workers, or other trusted individuals. Due to the shame, fear, and other barriers that elders face in reporting abuse, only a limited number of victims are able to get the help they need.
Elders throughout the United States lose an estimated $2.9 billion or more annually
due to elder financial abuse and $28.3 billion annually due to financial exploitation, such as the illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a senior for another’s benefit.
Too often, elder abuse threatens the livelihoods of older individuals, erodes their
extraordinary potential, and increases their risk of death by 300% compared to seniors who have not been mistreated.
Cloud County’s vulnerable and older adults of all social, economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds may be targets of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, which can occur in families, long-term care communities, and medical settings. We all have a responsibility to support the safety, welfare, and dignity of vulnerable and older adults, and must work toward ending elder abuse by assisting victims in accessing the information and supportive services they need, creating better and more resources for older adults in need, instituting effective intervention and prevention policies, and engaging in discussion with family members and peers to promote awareness and prevention of the quiet epidemic of elder abuse.
Sheila Jackson, the property manager of the Cloud Village Apartments, submitted a budget request for the Concordia Housing Authority in the amount of $7,200 for the 2026 budget year. The request was for the same amount of funding as in previous years.
The requested funds will be used to assist in the ever-increasing day-to-day operating expenses needed to maintain the property, including insurance expenses.
CloudCorp Executive Director Tim Beims submitted a 2026 budget request of $73,000 to commissioners. That total includes $70,000 to help fund CloudCorp’s general operations and project development activities, and $3,000 for small business development services, which includes courses and counseling administered through CloudCorp and offered without charge to Cloud County citizens.
The request represents a $15,000 (27%) increase from the city’s 2025 budget appropriation for CloudCorp. It is CloudCorp’s first requested funding increase since the 2011-12 budget cycle. Beims stated that the increase reflects inflationary costs for all aspects of operations.
Frank Carlson Library Director Lyndsey Kopsa presented her annual budget request to commissioners for the fiscal year. The budget included a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 2.5 percent for library employees and additional funding for book purchases. Kopsa also reported the work on the Frank Carlson stained glass window project was proceeding as planned.
Melissa Swenson, the executive director of the Brown Grand Theatre, presented her annual Grand Review for the fiscal year 2024-25. Swenson stated that, among the notable projects and accomplishments, were the successful launch of a $400,000 Capital Campaign to replace the lighting and sound systems, and the vintage cyclorama onstage; the installation of a new state-of-the-art projector; securing over $53,000 in grants; hosted over 20 rental events; and also hosted over 400 patrons for tours of the theater.
A public hearing was held for the property at 427 East 15th Street. No one from the public spoke at the hearing, and it was closed.
Commissioners then passed Resolution 2025-2204 which condemned the property at 427 East 15th Street, with zero days allowed for the start of repair or removal. This now allows the city to immediately request bids to demolish the property.
Bruno Rehbein, the city's building inspector, stated that the owner of the property had passed away several years ago and the property had been neglected and deteriorating since.
After a lengthy discussion with Swenson, commissioners unanimously rejected a bid of $262,421.50 from Sprowls Construction and Restoration Services, LLC, to repair and restore windows on the north face of the Brown Grand Theatre.
The city budgeted $50,000 in its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for this project, which was intended to serve as a local cash match for grant funding. However, both grant applications were denied. The T-Mobile grant application was denied because Concordia is not designated as a Main Street Community.
The Brown Grand Theatre is registered with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), so the scope of the proposed work requires approval by SHPO. The priority of SHPO is to preserve the original building material and architectural aesthetic of buildings on their registry. This scope of work included removal and replacement of paint, glazing and caulking, removal and replacement of window sills and trim, modifications to help water drain away from the building, and the addition of storm windows.
The bid solicitation was advertised in the Blade-Empire as well as on the city’s website. It was also emailed directly to several local contractors who had previously performed work at the Brown Grand, as well as to 26 contractors listed as SHPO pre-approved. Two contractors attended the pre-bid meeting and evaluated the site conditions. Only Sprowls Construction and Restoration submitted a bid.
Because the windows could be replaced, without SHPO requirements, for significantly less funding, there was a lengthy discussion among the commissioners, Swenson, and Brown Grand board member Monte Wentz whether it was economically feasible for the theater to remain registered with the State Historic Preservation Office. The issue was eventually tabled for further discussion.
Commissioners then authorized City Manager Amy Lange to sign a grant agreement associated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AIP Grant Offer for Blosser Municipal Airport in the amount of $108,000.
The city constructed an 80’ X 80’ box hangar at Blosser Municipal Airport. The hangar is able to house B-II aircraft, which are now supported by the longer, wider Runway 18/36. The hangar is currently being leased.
The FAA paid 90% of eligible costs, with the city providing the 10% match for the
FY 2023 and FY 2024 NPE and BIL grants.
The FAA pays 95% of eligible costs, with the city providing the 5% match, for the FY 2025 & FY 2026 IIJA-ALL grants.
The FY 2025 IIJA-ALL grant was awarded, and the city will receive $108,000 toward the hangar project, with a local cash match of $5,685.00.
In order to accept these federal funds, the commission needed to formally authorize Lange to sign the agreement. The agreement must be signed and certified by the city attorney prior to July 5, 2025.
In its final action of the meeting, commissioners approved Fire Chief John Christensen's request to begin accepting bids for a new Type 1 ambulance for FY 2026-27.
Christensen stated that the city currently has three ambulances: Medic 4, which is a 2016 model with 87,000 miles; Medic 5, a 2019 remount of a 2008 box with 97,000 miles; and Medic 2, a 2017 model with 69,000 miles.
Christensen stated that all three ambulances will be approaching 100,000 miles and their life span when a replacement ambulance can be acquired. The current build time for a Type 1 (truck chassis) ambulance is approximately two-to-three years.
Commissioners then met in executive session with Lange and City Attorney Justin Ferrell for 15 minutes to discuss confidential business matters. No action was taken.
With no further items on the agenda, the meeting adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
